Las Vegas Muslim-Americans to hold interfaith event in stand against terrorism

Members of the Las Vegas Muslim-American community say they're in the fight against terrorism and strongly oppose people misrepresenting their peaceful religion.

They condemn "horrific killing of innocent people," such as the recent terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., which left 14 people dead and 22 wounded.

A terrorist attack in Paris last month also left 129 people dead.

"We will fight along with our fellow Americans to eradicate our society of this menace," said Dr. Syed Rahman, a local internal medicine doctor.

The local Muslim community, in light of recent events, wants to stand in solidarity with the families of the California victims. Rahman and others have organized an event, Las Vegas Prayers for Peace and Unity, which will be an interfaith prayer vigil at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Jamia Masjid Mosque, 4730 E. Desert Inn Rd.

"We reject all that violence," Rahman said on Friday. "This is not who we are."

The Muslim community in Las Vegas valley is estimated to be more than 30,000.

In federal fiscal year 2015, there were 176,397 deportations across the country. But only two of those deportations were due to alleged terrorism-related activities and 24 were due to national security charges, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.

None of the deportations related to terrorism or national security that year was from Nevada.

The number of deportations on the grounds of terrorism-related issues continues to be rare, according to the data gathering and research organization.

At Sunday's event, several community members will make statements about their stands regarding the terrorist attacks. The vigil will focus on prayers for the victims, the subsequent fear and the hateful backlash toward American Muslims, organizers said.

"There's fear. It's largely a fear of the unknown," Rahman said of the local Muslim community.

Fahima Khalaf, who helped organize Sunday's vigil, said she has heard of stories from friends who have been harassed because of their background.

"They are just very terrified," she said Friday. "They are definitely in fear. A lot of them."

Khalaf blames terrorist attacks, such as the one carried out by San Bernardino shooters Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, for sullying the Muslim religion.

"They are destroying the name of such a beautiful religion," she said.

No religion teaches or supports killing without reason and on the basis of "some twisted ideology," Rahman said.

Some Muslim members in the area feel uncomfortable in the aftermath of such events.

"There is some degree of anxiety," he said.

Contact Yesenia Amaro at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3843. Find her on Twitter: @YeseniaAmaro.